Papa and Gram-ma

My Mom and Dad came to visit after Kelsey's birthday.

It was the most relaxing week. Papa took Rylee for a ride in her tricycle every day.  Grandma assisted Rylee in a puzzle numberous times. And Kelsey showed them how fast she can eat a banana.  Believe me, its impressive.

 We had a Candyland marathon. (Rylee calls the characters "cookie man")

We ate our weight in Blue Bell Ice Cream.

 Rylee took advantage of fresh meat to try her concoctions in her kitchen. Kelsey got herself stuck in the grocery basket ;)

 We went on a double date one night and then my parents watched the girls so Michael and I could go out.  It was great.  I don't think I touched a dirty dish all week (I did however cook a few meals).  We didn't get out much - the weather wasn't very cooperative that week but it was awesome to have them here.

I have recently discovered Kelsey has a few hairs long enough to fit in a pony (all ten of them ;)).  I get a lot of comments when we go out . . . . . bam-bam, the twins from Rugrats, Alphalpha.  A lady in front of me at the checkout commented "she'll have a nice thick head of hair one day, don't worry!  I was bald for two years and then I got the thickest afro" . . . . . I'm fine with thick but I do think it would be a little strange if Miss Kelsey had an afro by the time she's 3. I'm not too worried- we Wrights have been blessed with thick hair. . . . even if I was in my 20's before I had to start having it thinned.

 Its nearly impossible for me to take a picture of Kelsey and Rylee not ask for her picture to be taken as well.  can we say center of attention??

New Year's Eve

Did you know New Year's is the hardest holiday for me to be away from family?

Its true. Its a big holiday for my family.  Everyone, that can, comes to the house and parties for two days straight.  Yummy (mostly fried) food and appetizers and all the games you can play.  Then midnight rolls around and we head outside with our pots and pans to make as much noise as possible - sometimes letting fireworks off.  Laughing and having a good ol' time.  Then we wake the next morning: rinse. repeat.

Like I said, its hard for me to be away.

To make things a little easier, we host a party to ensure I'm busy enough to not think about what I'm missing.  Let me tell you: It works :)

We stocked up a bit of fireworks to put on a show:

I have a hard time leaving people out (I've been the one that didn't have a party to go to on New Year's Eve before and I was sad. . . .) though we couldn't feasibly invite the whole ward (aka our friends) we had a pretty great turn out.  At most we had 20 adults and 29 kids in or around our house. That's right, nearly 50 humans in our little home.  It was a little bit crazy but the house is still standing with few casualties. We had baby carrier (there were 6ish) parking and everything.  One friend commented how she couldn't believe how calm I was with that many kids in my house.  Well I did have a *minor* freak out earlier in the day (mostly because it was rainy and yucky weather which made me extremely nervous - and Michael was gone) but then I thought, "who would I NOT want to come?" since the answer to that question was no one I decided to pack up my favorite (breakable) Christmas items and get baking!!

The start of the party was a little chaotic but once people got more settled with a plate of food it was better. We ended up with perfect weather.  A little humid from all the rain but it was good to have wet grass on a firework night (not that one of our fireworks fell over and went off into a neighbors yard . . . . . . or a parked car).

Since the grass was damp we set up on the cement.  Our annoying driveway made for perfect stadium seating.

We had a great spread:

New Year's was the last of the "first" holiday's for Kelsey.  It wouldn't be a new years party if I didn't make my children hold a sparkler while I jump up and down yelling "Happy New Year!!" in their ears.

Rylee wanted nothing to do with the show.  I'm not going to lie, it makes me die a little inside.

Most of the guests left after fireworks to put their own children to bed, but for the first time we actually had some families (four actually) stay and ring in the new year with us!! yay!!  We had so much fun laughing, playing games and of course eating.

I was shocked Rylee stayed up til midnight too!  At about 10:30 she asked to go to bed but immediately changed her mind when we got to her room and she realized her friends were still here. Who could blame her?  As midnight approached we took the party (and our noise makers) back outside.  Our neighbors (in all directions) put on a pretty great show.  Its so fun.

The video is a shot of some of the crowd and then the a 30 shot firework Michael lit to close the show.  (I kind of want to get one for my birthday since I'm turning 30 and all . . . .we'll see if they're on coupon again in July).  I can't believe its 2013 already (and a month in at that).  We're hoping 2013 is a rather uneventful year :) 

Christmas video

It seems to be taking me a long time to "move on" from Christmas.  But I had to share a few pictures from my phone.  And I finally got a little video to load (I had problems).

For family night we read the Christmas story as a kid we would dress up, but I didn't feel like throwing together "costumes" so we used the little people nativity we have to "act" it out.  (When Rylee would play on her own she'd line them all up and say "look Momma, a family!!") Anyway, a couple days later she was patiently waiting for it to be time to put on her pajamas (she starts asking around 4 - She loves that she gets to 100% choose both what she and Kelsey wear to bed).  Anyway, she stuck the pjs on her head and said "Momma, I'm Mary!!" I thought it was pretty funny.

 The girls got a couple games for Christmas.  In case you haven't met us, we love to play games.  It has been really fun to be able to start playing a few with Rylee. Uno and Candyland are the favorites (she got chutes and ladders too she has a harder time counting the squares to move though) 

the video is a little long, as I didn't feel like editing further.  Nothing crazy exciting but its a few snippits from Christmas Morning.

 
Christmas 2012 from tricia allsop on Vimeo.

Christmas '12

We truly had a wonderful Christmas.

It really was perfect. Our little family - home, no where to be, so we stayed in our pj's all day letting our little's dictate how the day went.

(by the looks of the picture, Daddy hit the jackpot, though I think I came out the real winner)

 I guess I should share a little of our pre-Christmas celebration.  For family night one evening we took the girls up to the temple.  It was nice to walk around and show Rylee where Mom and Dad go on our "dates". We talked about the temple and if she makes good choices she can go inside someday too.  They had a nativity up and we talked about baby Jesus drank our apple cider and drove home.  On our way to and from anywhere really the entire month of December we would take a detour to look at lights.  Rylee was quick to tell us what she was seeing especially if it was Santa.

For several years we've gone to Windcrest (a 'city' within the city) to look at lights. This is the 50 - something-th year they've had a contest.  There's about 10 categories and as you drive past the fire station they hand out maps to show the winners (and runner's up).  We decided to take a little treat and give them to the houses with our favorite lights/displays.  It was kind of fun! I was a *little* worried they maybe wouldn't eat homemade goods from someone they didn't know but I guess that's not my problem.  It was 8 o'clock and there were several postal workers STILL delivering packages so we gave one our last bag of goodies and thanked him for his hard work as a Christmas Elf.  He seemed very grateful.  (I mean seriously, still working after 8 on Christmas Eve. . . . . poor guy).

Rylee was so excited to be able to help wrap a few presents. She took the job very seriously. After all, it is important work choosing which paper to use, and where to put the bow.  By the end of the pile she was actually pretty good at applying "sticky-tape" too.  Then she carried the wrapped gifts to the living room.

 Christmas morning the girls slept til nearly 9.  I almost hit my breaking point as far as waiting goes, and then I heard them start to stir.  As expected, after each item was unwrapped Rylee asked to "open it".  We let her open and play as requested with everything but the paint set - at least until after naps

 She was excited for the "finger-mail" polish.  She had a hard time washing her hands and feet after that :) We've had to put on a fresh coat every couple days too.

 Kelsey was pretty much happy that Rylee was distracted with unwrapping presents and realized she had full reign on all the toys we already own.  That is until she discovered the bag of freeze dried yogurt bites that were in her stocking.  She carried them over to Dad and I begging for more and didn't let go of the package until they were gone (since it was Christmas, we let her ;) ).

making "soup"

 {yes, she changed pajamas.  We had to bribe her into wearing the Christmas jammies I made her and when she got another pair on Christmas (the girl needed winter pj's) it was too much for her so we had a wardrobe change}

 "sleeping" in her new tent/house

Among other things Santa left Rylee a new tricycle and Kelsey got a little HEB shopping cart.

I had a really hard time coming up with something to give Kelsey.  Having a sister just a couple years ahead of her means there really isn't anything she "needed" but I couldn't do nothing. . . . . After a little bit of searching I came across a pattern for a doll.  Perfect. {apparently I didn't take a picture, but the I embroidered {heart} MOM on the bum.  It turned out pretty cute}

Michael asked if I was then going to make one for Rylee. I said no. Rylee already has a babydoll and its ok for Kelsey to have something special just for her.  I was really excited to give it to her. She "opened" the present took one look and moved on.  sad.  She seriously wanted nothing to do with it. We tried to get her to hold/touch it and she was NOT having it. double sad.  Later in the day I thought "oh I'll take a picture of her with the shopping cart with her new doll in the baby seat." The second she saw what I was up to she grabbed the doll and threw her on the floor. tripple sad.

"You're really going to make me sit by this doll and take a picture?"

"ok,You're making a big enough fool of yourself trying to get me to smile, I might forget about the doll all together"

 "peek-a-boo"

 Merry 1st Christmas Kelsey!!
{The doll now sleeps on Rylee's bed. ::sigh:: maybe I'll do better next year}

And a Merry Crafty Christmas to me!!!

Santa left Michael a little something to cut down the time he spends trimming bushes.

Rylee was especially proud of the tie she chose to give her Dad (and kept it a fairly good secret -though I'm not entirely certain if that was by choice.  She did tell him we went to the "clothes store"),  And even more proud the first day he wore it to work.

And what would Christmas be without a puzzle?  Even {especially??} if there isn't a riddle to solve on the back. :) This is actually one of three puzzles we did over the break.

It took us most of the day to get all the presents opened.  We took a break for breakfast and then we played and opened some more, napped, had a Candyland marathon and then that evening we had a multi-skype chat with my family.

I guess all the excitement of the day got to the kids as they were both a little on the crabby side and went to bed early.  Fine by me. . . . more time to play our own toys.

That night as Michael and I snuggled on the couch I kept saying "You really have to go to work tomorrow?" That would have been the first Christmas in our marriage he'd have to work the day after Christmas - last year he got it off since Cmas was on Sunday and every other year we've been out of town and he's taken the day off.  He decided he'd better stick around.

My sister I talked and we decided the day after Christmas is just as good (if not better) than Christmas day. No where to be = another day in pjs, all the new fun things to play with a figure out, family time all with the option of sleeping in (for some).  We loved it. We sincerely hope your Christmas was at least half as lovely as ours. :)

A Year of Kelsey

After Kelsey was born I decided I wanted to take a picture of her every month in the same spot with the same toy/bear to compare how she'd grow over the year.  In the begining I was pretty good doing it within a day or so of her "day" but that got harder as the year went on. . . . . and, I missed a couple months.  oops. I guess I should have put it on the calendar - but hey, 10/12 aint bad. Babies change the most in the begining anyway.

Its kindof fun to see how she's grown.

She is a very happy, content girl. 

She has one little {crooked} tooth:

She really does have hair.   See?  Its still BLONDE. . . . . and still thrills me :)

I wasn't as good about keeping a bow/headband on her when she was a newborn so she's not really used to wearing them and pulls them off :(

She's a great sleeper.  Thankfully we don't (yet) have to go through the same routine we do for her sister.  We can lay her down and she goes right to sleep.  She goes to bed about 7:30-8, usually wakes up between 8-8:30ish (love!!) and takes 2 naps during the day.

The girl loves to eat.  If anyone else is eating she moans and groans and begs until she has some too.  She especially loves soup, and bananas.  Her favorite snack is the freeze dried yogurt bites.

She is SO close to walking and has taken a few steps.  She's mastered cruising around the furniture.  She just learned she can climb onto the chair in their room - I've never seen her so proud!

She loves to snuggle her Momma especially after she wakes up.  If anyone else tries to talk to her she buries her head in my shoulder.

Her favorite toys are anything Rylee is playing with and our phones/ remote (one of which is MIA :( )

She likes to stand up in the bathtub which translates into slipping and sliding all over the bathtub.

She is STRONG!

She is pretty busy and a little micheivious. She hardly sits still for diaper changes and she's into everything. (she's learned how to open some drawers/cupboards before Rylee).

She's a Momma's Girl.

She's a joy and a blessing in our lives.  We love you Kelsey girl!

Happy Birthday Kelsey

Our baby girl turned one on Saturday. Its amazing how fast this year has gone.  At the same time it feels she's been in our family for much longer than a year. {I guess its still easier for me to remember life with no kids as opposed to life with one child} She has been such an added blessing to our lives and we're so grateful we were able to celebrate her birth {again!}

Rylee anticipated Kelsey's birthday all week and was excited when we put up a few decorations.

Oh, you know a Happy Birthday sign and my "Year of Kelsey" pictures I'd taken (I think I'll add more on that later)

We had a couple families over for dinner/dessert to help us celebrate.

Rylee helped blow out the candle.

and then we ate cupcakes.  Kelsey put the cupcake/frosting immediately in and out of her mouth about 3 times before she decided she could swallow. She'd try to take a bite and then take it out to inspect it and repeat.  Once the frosting was deemed suitable to digest and then devoured she moved on the cake part. It was a lovely mess. And what is cake without ice cream?

 I searched pinterest to figure out what kind of cupcake to make and came across the idea to bake cupcakes in ice cream cones.  I thought it was cute (and apparently I'm the last one on the planet to have seen these) but it was fun.  Perfect for a one year old as the cone works as a barrier to some of the messiness.  The cone is soft but still tasty.  Kelsey liked them, Rylee did not.  You can't please them all and at least the lady of the hour was happy.  I couldn't resist the mini cones either so we had two size options :)

Then it was present time.  Good thing Kelsey has an older sister and friend to help or we'd still be working on her present.  Rylee was very excited to open the gift she chose for her sister.

Kelsey didn't care much for her new toys and let the 'big girls' play . . . . . She's learned early that its the people, not the things that matter in life and spent the rest of the evening chillin with her homies (twin bff's). ;)

Happy Happy Birthday Kelsey! We love you like crazy!

Santa!

We had some fun pictures taken with Santa this year.  Actually, my friend bought a Santa suit and the backdrop and offered (in exchange for money) to take pictures. We dressed up, read a story, handed out a candy cane, ate cookies, you know the drill. We made sure Rylee knew we were just dressing up to take some pictures.

 Kelsey had a bit of a rough time. . . . she was absolutely TERRIFIED of the beard. We tried a different day and things were much better.

 oh, you know, just a little Mommy kissing Santa Claus. . . . .

 What kid (and this adult) isn't exstatic once jammies are on ready for bed on Christmas Eve? Knowing Santa can't come until they're asleep which makes it that much harder to settle down?

 maybe its the sugar from the cookies. . . . .

 This picture is by far my favorite. Kelsey's like "do whatever you want, just leave the cookies"

then she's double fisting it here.

I'm so glad we did this. I think they turned out really cute!

 Then came Christmas Service at Church.  Its always fun to see everyone dressed all festive. I obviously have a thing for red shoes (and as my sister mentioned a thing for pictures of feet :)) For the first time in a LONG time I sang in a group in church.  A quartet even (I was a bit nervous) but it was fun. We sang What Child is This? and people said they liked it, so that's good.